Air Canada enters NZ market, offers non-stop flights to Vancouver

Air Canada will be offering direct flights to Vancouver. Photo/Supplied.

Air Canada is looking to take advantage of New Zealand's love of travel, announcing flights between Auckland and Vancouver.

The North American airline will operate a seasonal route, comprising four weekly flights between the cities from December 12, 2019 to the end of March 2020.

Air Canada has also finalised a Memorandum of Understanding with Star Alliance partner Air New Zealand, which will see the airlines co-operating in the form of joint venture, subject to regulatory approvals.

Air New Zealand and Air Canada have collaborated as Star Alliance partners for more than 20 years.

This comes at a good time for New Zealand travellers, with Air New Zealand announcing a massive shake-up of domestic pricing earlier this week. As part of this move, the airline said would make 750,000 seats a year available for less than $50.

The introduction of the Vancouver flight also gives Kiwis better access to Canada during the winter months.

"The launch of Auckland service in December will be of particular interest to New Zealanders travelling for a Canadian winter vacation, and to North Americans travelling to enjoy New Zealand's vibrant multicultural urban and natural attractions during their summer season," said Lucie Guillemette, executive vice-president and chief commercial officer at Air Canada.

Tourism Minister Kelvin Davis welcomed the new link, saying it would strengthen the tourism links between the two countries.

"More and more Canadians are choosing to visit New Zealand to experience our culture, scenery and Kiwi hospitality. 71,000 Canadians visited New Zealand in 2018, staying on average for 19 days and making an important contribution to the New Zealand economy," he said.

Statistics from Tourism New Zealand show that Canadian tourists contributed over $250 million to the New Zealand economy last year.

The flights will operate out of Auckland on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

A special introductory deal sees the fares selling as low as CDN$1387 ($1541) for a round-trip.